Deuteronomy 23:23

Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite assembly on the plains of Moab, just before they cross the Jordan, establishing covenant law regarding personal vows.

The words — The text highlights תִּשְׁמֹר (tish.Mor), meaning you will take care, and נָדַרְתָּ (na.Dar.ta), meaning you have vowed, linking verbal commitment to mandatory action.

The thread — This principle echoes in Numbers 30:2 regarding unbroken pledges to God, Proverbs 20:25 warning against rash vows, and Judges 11:30 where Jephthah’s spoken oath triggers a binding consequence.

Why it lands — The verse demands exact fulfillment of spoken commitments to God, treating a vow as a binding obligation rather than a discretionary promise.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

מוֹצָ֥אmo.Tza'[the] utterance of שְׂפָתֶ֖יךָse.fa.Tei./khalips/ your תִּשְׁמֹ֣רtish.Moryou will take care וְעָשִׂ֑יתָve./'a.Si.taand/ you will do כַּאֲשֶׁ֨רka./'a.Sherjust/ as נָדַ֜רְתָּna.Dar.tayou have vowed לַיהוָ֤הla./Yah.wehto/ Yahweh אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your נְדָבָ֔הne.da.Vahvoluntariness אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sher[that] which דִּבַּ֖רְתָּdi.Bar.tayou have spoken בְּפִֽיךָ׃ סbe./Fi./khawith/ mouth/ your

King James Version

That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

Cross-references

Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
Judges 11:30 Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
Numbers 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.
1 Samuel 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
1 Samuel 14:24 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
Psalms 66:13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
Psalms 116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
Jeremiah 44:25 This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands your words: ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Go ahead, then, do what you have promised! Keep your vows!
Mark 6:22 When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”